diff --git a/hgext/convert/p4.py b/hgext/convert/p4.py
--- a/hgext/convert/p4.py
+++ b/hgext/convert/p4.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class p4_source(converter_source):
 
     def _parse_view(self, path):
         "Read changes affecting the path"
-        cmd = "p4 -G changes -s submitted '%s'" % path
+        cmd = 'p4 -G changes -s submitted "%s"' % path
         stdout = util.popen(cmd)
         for d in loaditer(stdout):
             c = d.get("change", None)
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class p4_source(converter_source):
             else:
                 views = {"//": ""}
         else:
-            cmd = "p4 -G client -o '%s'" % path
+            cmd = 'p4 -G client -o "%s"' % path
             clientspec = marshal.load(util.popen(cmd))
 
             views = {}
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ class p4_source(converter_source):
         return self.heads
 
     def getfile(self, name, rev):
-        cmd = "p4 -G print '%s#%s'" % (self.depotname[name], rev)
+        cmd = 'p4 -G print "%s#%s"' % (self.depotname[name], rev)
         stdout = util.popen(cmd)
 
         mode = None
diff --git a/hgext/extdiff.py b/hgext/extdiff.py
--- a/hgext/extdiff.py
+++ b/hgext/extdiff.py
@@ -50,16 +50,25 @@ from mercurial.node import short
 from mercurial import cmdutil, util, commands
 import os, shlex, shutil, tempfile
 
-def snapshot_node(ui, repo, files, node, tmproot):
-    '''snapshot files as of some revision'''
+def snapshot(ui, repo, files, node, tmproot):
+    '''snapshot files as of some revision
+    if not using snapshot, -I/-X does not work and recursive diff
+    in tools like kdiff3 and meld displays too many files.'''
     dirname = os.path.basename(repo.root)
     if dirname == "":
         dirname = "root"
-    dirname = '%s.%s' % (dirname, short(node))
+    if node is not None:
+        dirname = '%s.%s' % (dirname, short(node))
     base = os.path.join(tmproot, dirname)
     os.mkdir(base)
-    ui.note(_('making snapshot of %d files from rev %s\n') %
-            (len(files), short(node)))
+    if node is not None:
+        ui.note(_('making snapshot of %d files from rev %s\n') %
+                (len(files), short(node)))
+    else:
+        ui.note(_('making snapshot of %d files from working directory\n') %
+            (len(files)))
+    wopener = util.opener(base)
+    fns_and_mtime = []
     ctx = repo[node]
     for fn in files:
         wfn = util.pconvert(fn)
@@ -68,47 +77,18 @@ def snapshot_node(ui, repo, files, node,
             continue
         ui.note('  %s\n' % wfn)
         dest = os.path.join(base, wfn)
-        destdir = os.path.dirname(dest)
-        if not os.path.isdir(destdir):
-            os.makedirs(destdir)
-        data = repo.wwritedata(wfn, ctx[wfn].data())
-        open(dest, 'wb').write(data)
-    return dirname
-
-
-def snapshot_wdir(ui, repo, files, tmproot):
-    '''snapshot files from working directory.
-    if not using snapshot, -I/-X does not work and recursive diff
-    in tools like kdiff3 and meld displays too many files.'''
-    dirname = os.path.basename(repo.root)
-    if dirname == "":
-        dirname = "root"
-    base = os.path.join(tmproot, dirname)
-    os.mkdir(base)
-    ui.note(_('making snapshot of %d files from working directory\n') %
-            (len(files)))
-
-    fns_and_mtime = []
-
-    for fn in files:
-        wfn = util.pconvert(fn)
-        ui.note('  %s\n' % wfn)
-        dest = os.path.join(base, wfn)
-        destdir = os.path.dirname(dest)
-        if not os.path.isdir(destdir):
-            os.makedirs(destdir)
-
-        fp = open(dest, 'wb')
-        for chunk in util.filechunkiter(repo.wopener(wfn)):
-            fp.write(chunk)
-        fp.close()
-
-        fns_and_mtime.append((dest, repo.wjoin(fn), os.path.getmtime(dest)))
-
-
+        fctx = ctx[wfn]
+        data = repo.wwritedata(wfn, fctx.data())
+        if 'l' in fctx.flags():
+            wopener.symlink(data, wfn)
+        else:
+            wopener(wfn, 'w').write(data)
+            if 'x' in fctx.flags():
+                util.set_flags(dest, False, True)
+        if node is None:
+            fns_and_mtime.append((dest, repo.wjoin(fn), os.path.getmtime(dest)))
     return dirname, fns_and_mtime
 
-
 def dodiff(ui, repo, diffcmd, diffopts, pats, opts):
     '''Do the actuall diff:
 
@@ -139,24 +119,17 @@ def dodiff(ui, repo, diffcmd, diffopts, 
     dir2root = ''
     try:
         # Always make a copy of node1
-        dir1 = snapshot_node(ui, repo, modified + removed, node1, tmproot)
+        dir1 = snapshot(ui, repo, modified + removed, node1, tmproot)[0]
         changes = len(modified) + len(removed) + len(added)
 
-        fns_and_mtime = []
-
         # If node2 in not the wc or there is >1 change, copy it
-        if node2:
-            dir2 = snapshot_node(ui, repo, modified + added, node2, tmproot)
-        elif changes > 1:
-            #we only actually need to get the files to copy back to the working
-            #dir in this case (because the other cases are: diffing 2 revisions
-            #or single file -- in which case the file is already directly passed
-            #to the diff tool).
-            dir2, fns_and_mtime = snapshot_wdir(ui, repo, modified + added, tmproot)
+        if node2 or changes > 1:
+            dir2, fns_and_mtime = snapshot(ui, repo, modified + added, node2, tmproot)
         else:
             # This lets the diff tool open the changed file directly
             dir2 = ''
             dir2root = repo.root
+            fns_and_mtime = []
 
         # If only one change, diff the files instead of the directories
         if changes == 1 :
diff --git a/mercurial/context.py b/mercurial/context.py
--- a/mercurial/context.py
+++ b/mercurial/context.py
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ class workingctx(changectx):
         return True
 
     def __contains__(self, key):
-        return self._dirstate[key] not in "?r"
+        return self._repo.dirstate[key] not in "?r"
 
     def _manifest(self):
         """generate a manifest corresponding to the working directory"""
diff --git a/tests/test-convert-p4 b/tests/test-convert-p4
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
--- a/tests/test-convert-p4
+++ b/tests/test-convert-p4
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ hg -R dst log --template 'rev=#rev# desc
 
 echo % interesting names
 echo dddd > "d d"
-mkdir " e "
-echo fff >" e /f "
-p4 add "d d" " e /f "
+mkdir " e"
+echo fff >" e/ f"
+p4 add "d d" " e/ f"
 p4 submit -d "add d e f"
 
 echo % convert again
diff --git a/tests/test-convert-p4.out b/tests/test-convert-p4.out
--- a/tests/test-convert-p4.out
+++ b/tests/test-convert-p4.out
@@ -62,10 +62,10 @@ rev=1 desc="change a" tags="" files="a"
 rev=0 desc="initial" tags="" files="a b/c"
 % interesting names
 //depot/test-mercurial-import/d d#1 - opened for add
-//depot/test-mercurial-import/ e /f #1 - opened for add
+//depot/test-mercurial-import/ e/ f#1 - opened for add
 Submitting change 5.
 Locking 2 files ...
-add //depot/test-mercurial-import/ e /f #1
+add //depot/test-mercurial-import/ e/ f#1
 add //depot/test-mercurial-import/d d#1
 Change 5 submitted.
 % convert again
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ scanning source...
 sorting...
 converting...
 0 add d e f
-rev=4 desc="add d e f" tags="tip" files=" e /f  d d"
+rev=4 desc="add d e f" tags="tip" files=" e/ f d d"
 rev=3 desc="change a b/c" tags="" files="a b/c"
 rev=2 desc="change b/c" tags="" files="b/c"
 rev=1 desc="change a" tags="" files="a"
diff --git a/tests/test-extdiff b/tests/test-extdiff
--- a/tests/test-extdiff
+++ b/tests/test-extdiff
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ hg ci -d '1 0' -mtest2
 hg falabala -r 0:1
 
 # test diff during merge
-hg update 0
+hg update -C 0
 echo c >> c
 hg add c
 hg ci -m "new branch" -d '1 0'
@@ -43,3 +43,24 @@ hg falabala -c 1
 # check diff are made from the first parent
 hg falabala -c 3 || echo "diff-like tools yield a non-zero exit code"
 #hg log
+
+echo
+echo '% test extdiff of multiple files in tmp dir:'
+hg update -C 0 > /dev/null
+echo changed > a
+echo changed > b
+chmod +x b
+echo '% diff in working directory, before'
+hg diff --git
+echo '% edit with extdiff -p'
+# prepare custom diff/edit tool
+cat > differ.sh << EOT
+#!/bin/sh
+sleep 1 # avoid unchanged-timestamp problems
+echo edited >> a/a
+echo edited >> a/b
+EOT
+chmod +x differ.sh
+hg extdiff -p `pwd`/differ.sh # will change to /tmp/extdiff.TMP and populate directories a.TMP and a and start tool
+echo '% diff in working directory, after'
+hg diff --git
diff --git a/tests/test-extdiff.out b/tests/test-extdiff.out
--- a/tests/test-extdiff.out
+++ b/tests/test-extdiff.out
@@ -34,3 +34,38 @@ diffing a.2a13a4d2da36/a [tmp]/test-extd
 diffing a.8a5febb7f867/a a.34eed99112ab/a
 diffing a.2a13a4d2da36/a a.46c0e4daeb72/a
 diff-like tools yield a non-zero exit code
+
+% test extdiff of multiple files in tmp dir:
+% diff in working directory, before
+diff --git a/a b/a
+--- a/a
++++ b/a
+@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
+-a
++changed
+diff --git a/b b/b
+old mode 100644
+new mode 100755
+--- a/b
++++ b/b
+@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
+-b
++changed
+% edit with extdiff -p
+% diff in working directory, after
+diff --git a/a b/a
+--- a/a
++++ b/a
+@@ -1,1 +1,2 @@
+-a
++changed
++edited
+diff --git a/b b/b
+old mode 100644
+new mode 100755
+--- a/b
++++ b/b
+@@ -1,1 +1,2 @@
+-b
++changed
++edited
diff --git a/tests/test-issue1438 b/tests/test-issue1438
old mode 100644
new mode 100755